The Voluntary Pre-kindergarten Program (VPK) is designed to prepare Florida 's children for kindergarten and develop the skills they need to become good readers and successful students. VPK includes standards for literacy skills, strict accountability, appropriate curricula, substantial instruction periods, manageable class sizes and qualified instructors. Parents have the option of enrolling children in a school-year program that consists of 540 instructional hours, or a summer program, consisting of 300 instructional hours.

Our VPK program specializes in Kindergarten Readiness. We focus on inclusive practices and excel at working with children and families with special needs.

Miss Yuki and Miss Brandy exceed all the Universal Pre-K expectations set forth in 2002 legislation. Furthermore we have taken an aggressive approach on the class size requirements for VPK. Rather than run 2 classrooms with 18 children we limit our classes to 11 per teacher with an aid for any special activities or needs.

Our children excel at phonics, sight words, number sentences, computer sciences, social studies and creative arts.

Our philosophy is simple...create a structured environment where children have room to explore new skills while being introduced to the tools to succeed.

Our Fall 2014/2015 VPK class is currently full. We are accepting applications for the Summer 2015 class.

Our teachers are second to none. Miss Yuki has been teaching for 14 years and has her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, ECA, and DCF certification. Miss Brandy has her Masters in Special Education with a focus on Early childhood education as well as her BA in Organizational Management. She has just completed her PhD. Prior to joining our team she worked with child who were at risk in West Virginia.

Our teachers believe the only way to start Kindergarten is ahead of the curve. Our aggressive approach creates a solid foundation for Kindergarten and beyond.

Key Benefits

FREE for all children who are 4 years old by September 1 and reside in Florida

A high quality educational program with an early literacy focus

Prepare the child to be ready for kindergarten based on standards adopted by the State

No registration fee

Parents have the option of the

School Year Program – 540 instructional hours; or

Summer Program – 300 instructional hours

Key Requirements for Providers of VPK Program

No more than 20 children per class.

One teacher for every 11 children

The teacher has her 5 hour VPK literacy accreditation

The lead teacher must have a

National Child Development Associate Certificate

Florida Child Development Associate Certificate; or

college degree

The program must offer 540 hours of instruction during the school year, & 300 hours during the summer

The school must pass licensing inspections

The provider must be licensed (or exempt from this requirement) and must also:

Be a licensed child care provider and demonstrate to the early learning coalition that the provider meets the VPK program requirements, including, but not limited to, credentials and background screenings of instructors, minimum and maximum class sizes, director credentials, and developmentally appropriate curriculum.

How to Apply

Take the completed application, along with the proof of age and proof of Florida residency to a VPK registration location (a list of Hillsborough County sites are available below) and meet with a representative of ELCHC who will verify the information. Upon verification, you will receive a VPK Certificate of Eligibility

Deliver the VPK Certificate of Eligibility to Castles of Imagination and complete our registration process